A Group of Women Are Running From New York to D.C. To Raise Money For Planned Parenthood

Not all heroes wear capes.

Four women will be running from New York to D.C. – 240 miles – to raise money for Planned Parenthood. They are calling the endeavor "Four Women For All Women."

There has been a lot of of speculation that during Trump's administration, women's access to reproductive healthcare could seriously be put in jeopardy. Though what will transpire waits to be seen, there are already branches of Planned Parenthood that are being defunded, leaving thousands of women without access to a host of affordable, if not free, healthcare. In light of these recent events, one group of women will be running from New York to D.C. to raise money for the organization.

In case you're not familiar with the area, the run will be roughly 240 miles, depending on exactly where they begin and end. Alison Mariella Désir, a running coach, founder of the Harlem Run running crew, and contributor to Women's Running magazine, organized the event.

“I read somewhere, ‘No one person can change the world, but we can each do our part.’ I’m from Harlem. I live to run. What can I do?” Désir writes on the GoFundMe page for the run. “Well, it’s no secret that this incoming Administration and Congress have a target on women’s right to choose and women’s health. There will never come a time that I look back and wonder, ‘what could I have done to protect that right?’”

Alison and her team will be running what is the equivalent of two marathons per day. They will be leaving this Monday, and will not arrive in Washington until Inauguration Day. "IF IT DOESN'T SCARE YOU, IT'S NOT WORTH DOING," She wrote on the Instagram post that announced the run. She also explained the significance of her team beginning their (literal) journey this Monday: it's MLK Day.

Since the campaign began on January 2, she has raised almost $7,000. With an ultimate goal of $44,000, she has a ways to go, but with such an extraordinary endeavor at her toes (pun very much intended) we can hope for the best. Either way, every dollar counts. "I can't do much," she said. "But I CAN do this."